Rileybiz

From e-Marketer

More than a quarter of web users 65 and up now visiting social networks
Older web users are flocking to social networks, according to a May 2010 Pew Internet & American Life Project survey. Usage among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled during the past year, from 22% to 42%.

More specifically, 47% of 50-to-64-year-old internet users and 26% of seniors ages 65 and up indicate that they now use these sites, with Facebook and LinkedIn being the main beneficiaries of the more mature traffic.

These rates are fairly close to eMarketer predictions from April 2010, which estimated the largest jumps in social networking site usage would occur among the oldest users.

With even seniors catching the wave of social networking, the phenomenon’s mass appeal is undeniable for marketers. Facebook announced its 500 millionth user in June, and marketers have begun to pour real dollars into the channel. eMarketer estimates US ad spending on Facebook will rise to $1.1 billion next year, up from $835 million in 2010.

Pew offered three reasons for social networking’s appeal to older adults:

They want to reconnect with people from their past. As a gathering place for multiple generations, social networks are useful to parents for learning about the lives of their children and grandchildren.

People with chronic diseases are more likely to reach out to others online, and older people are more likely to have a chronic disease.

But those first two reasons are also a good indication of why young people may begin shying away from Facebook and having conversations elsewhere, if they haven’t already. Already hyper-vigilant about their privacy and what they share, young users may stop considering social networks cool when their parents join—let alone their grandparents.

Meanwhile, as teens and millennials grow up and enter the work force, instead of reconnecting, they may actually want to disassociate themselves from past immaturities and prying eyes in what is an increasingly public setting.

The mass appeal of Facebook is a boon in the short term for marketers looking for reach in an age of media fragmentation. But as the site tries to be everything to everyone, marketers included, that may prove to be too much for some, just as it was for MySpace.

For complete data charts and story, go to eMarketer.com

From World Advertising Research Center

Brand owners must face up to the “daunting task” of creating marketing systems reflecting the demands of the digital age, according to a new study.

As consumers gravitate towards social networks, search engines, blogs and the mobile web, advertisers are “abandoning traditional media at a shocking rate,” the Booz & Co report suggested. Such a trend has been demonstrated by the comparative resilience of online – and to a lesser extent mobile – adspend during the recession.

This is partly because both channels allow for precise targeting at low cost.

“The many virtues of digital marketing – its speed, flexibility, interactivity, and accountability – require a whole new set of marketing strategies and skills to make it work,” Booz said.

“In a Web 2.0 world, however, taking part in that market isn’t simply a matter of throwing some banner ads against a few likely websites and seeing what sticks.”

Exploit the vast amount of data available

Any adequate response to the evolving preferences of shoppers should be premised on exploiting the vast amount of data now available, the Booz report added.
“It demands a close collaboration between CMOs and CIOs to build technology to automate new marketing processes and provide real-time decision support.”

Firstly, this encompasses establishing methods to track the behaviour of consumers, including their communications and media usage habits.

Delivering programmes enabling executives to “target customers 24/7 via the right channel, at the right time, and with the right message” is also assuming centre stage. More broadly, corporate leadership, skill sets and incentives ought to be “geared towards the digital world” rather than reinforcing outdated models.

Develop a single view of shoppers

Achieving this goal ultimately means brand managers need to gain a “single view” of shoppers drawing on the mass of facts and figures hosted online and offline.
“They must use that information to make specific offers to individual customers based on their value to the company – both in the past and in the future,” Booz said.

“They must build a marketing platform that can help automate the process of publishing a consistent set of marketing messages and content … from classic TV spot to Facebook app to YouTube video to Google AdWords to blog entry.”

A novel solution may be necessary

Given the complexity of handling these tasks, and the challenges of coordinating technology vendors, advertising agencies, media owners and publishers, a novel solution may be necessary.As such, advertisers should establish a dedicated digital unit to act as an intermediary between management, IT and marketing departments, as well as running campaigns and dealing with corporate partners.

Google has recently released details about its real-time search engine, which trawls the web to provide all the latest results, and can be refined by location.
“We’ve added a conversations view, making it easy to follow a discussion on the real-time web,” said Dylan Casey, a product manager at Google.

A full conversation view is the objective

“Often a single tweet sparks a larger conversation of re-tweets and other replies … With the new ‘full conversation’ feature, you can browse the entire conversation in a single glance.”

Procter & Gamble, the FMCG giant, is one firm planning a major investment in this kind of approach at a corporate level, according to its ceo, Bob McDonald. “With digitisation, our goal is to standardise, automate and integrate systems and data so we can create a real-time operating and decision-making environment,” he said.

“By getting the right data to the right decision makers at the right time, we can become increasingly efficient and productive.”

Coca-Cola Enterprises, which distributes goods from Coca-Cola’s portfolio, has also leveraged software called SugarCRM to integrate various elements of its operations.

The main goal is a global solution

“The main goal was to get a global solution that combined e-commerce, CRM, and logistics into one package that everybody could standardize on,” said Pierre Fredet, group director for dry outlets, Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Data sourced from Booz & Co/Procter & Gamble/Google; additional content by Warc staff, 02 September 2010

From World Advertising Research Center

Traditional forms of communications like word of mouth, direct mail and newspapers enjoy higher levels of trust among US consumers than social media and other online services.

ICOM, part of Epsilon Targeting, argued in a study that social networks, internet forums, blogs and similar tools have added considerable complexity to the world occupied by more established channels.

Based on a survey of 2,569 adults, it reported 57% of people regarded friends and family as a reliable source of information, falling to 26% for newspapers and 22% for corporate websites.

Television posted a score of 20%, with brochures and flyers on 18%, radio on 16%, email on 12%, third-party internet sites on 11% and mobile phones on 9%.

Web 2.0 portals generated relatively modest figures, coming in at 8% for blogs, forums and Facebook, and just 7% for YouTube and Twitter.

When asked to name preferred providers of news and updates relating to personal care, food and cleaning products, 36% of the panel chose direct mail, with newspaper inserts on 29%, the net on 12% and email on 10%.

“The coveted 18-34 year olds prefer, by a wide margin, to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media platforms,” the study said.

It added: “The preference among 18–34 year-olds for receiving marketing information from offline sources led by mail and newspapers is two to three times greater than online sources such as social media.”

Elsewhere, 40% of contributors selected DM in the financial sector, as did 38% for insurance, 35% for charity campaigns and 28% concerning travel.

The last of these markets was the only one to see another type of media assume the lead, as the web registered a rating of 19%.

Taking credit cards as an example, 70% of participants agreed branded email had an influence on purchase decisions, a perception that stood at 60% for mail shots, 41% for internet display and 19% for TV spots.

In terms of recall for these financial products, however, 33% mentioned television commercials, with DM on 27%, email on 22% and web banners, pop-ups and equivalent formats on 19%.

“The upshot is that regardless of the demographic, marketers need to deploy a multichannel campaign for topmost customer engagement,” ICOM argued.

“Social media, like many forms of communication, should be incorporated as one component of a broader strategy.”

Equally, while emerging mediums like Foursquare, GoogleBuzz, Loopt, Blippy and Groupons deserve attention, brands must ensure they have a presence in all of the areas frequented by their target audience.

“The proliferation of channels presents marketers more opportunity than ever to engage customers, understand their desires and meet their evolving needs,” the report concluded.

“At the same time, it challenges marketers to abide ever more fervently by the first commandment of marketing: know thy customer.”

Data sourced from ICOM; additional content by World Advertising Research Centre  staff, 27 August 2010

By John Riley

 Last night I was treated to a professional marketing and promotional experience worthy of special note. As it unfolded, you could not escape the fact it had been well planned and executed faultlessly. The venue was the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix where the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team plays their home games. The occasion was a special evening event to sell their unsold season tickets.

 Billed as “Taste of the NBA”, I estimate 250 people were invited to sample food offerings of leading chefs from cities in the National Basketball Association, meet and talk with the Suns management and coach and inspect the unsold seats for the upcoming season. No one seemed to mind coming out in the 110 degree temperature and many arrived early.

 Free parking was arranged in the adjoining building making entrance into the U. S. Airways Center lobby easy and comfortable. Entering the lobby, you quickly noticed the large screen mounted on high on the interior wall featuring highlights of the previous season’s games. Tables were arranged for guests to pick up their name tag and register for an undetermined prize while under the helpful guidance of several Sun’s sales coordinators.

 As we were escorted into the bowels of the building, we encountered a staging area where a photographer was taking pictures of each party with two team hostesses and the team’s gorilla mascot. Following our photograph, we moved to the playing floor where food and beverage stands were positioned and chefs were serving guests. Each stand presented three or four entrees plus a dessert.

 Surveying the scene above the floor, you could see 18,000 empty seats with an untold number  of available choices posted with a location ID and season price. Guests mingled among the seats considering their possible selections while the white shirted sales coordinators stood by to answer questions.

 One team owner helped serve food at one stand while another owner helped guests find unsold seats to suit their needs. Meanwhile, large screens throughout the room replayed engaging snippets of past Sun’s games. 

 Stationed strategically at one end of the floor, four team principals gathered to present an informal program. First came the coach with a few remarks on his players and the outlook for the coming year. Next came the introduction of the new general manager. He was followed by the principal owner who outlined a number of incentives for guests who made seat purchases before leaving ( for example: the first four couples to buy would receive a free trip with the team to one of their scheduled games while another couple could qualify to use one of the owner’s boxes for one of the scheduled games)

 One of the new additions to the team was the final speaker. Door prizes were then awarded and if the recipient made a free throw in one try, an additional prize was given.

 From that point on, guests continued to enjoy the food, talk with team management or survey the seat locations. No one seemed anxious to leave.

 My experience with similar types of events over the years always alerts me to expect an aggressive sales effort. That didn’t happen here. Neither my guest nor I felt any pressure from the sales coordinators or anyone else. The Sun’s let their product sell itself and if you liked the product, the staff was there to make it easy for you to buy.

 Bottom line: it was a first class marketing effort and it was successful

Mankind must abandon earth or face extinction: Hawking
Mankind’s only chance of long-term survival lies in colonising space, as humans drain Earth of resources and face a terrifying array of new threats, warned British scientist Stephen Hawking on Monday.
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Wax, soap clean up obstacles to better batteries
A little wax and soap can help build electrodes for cheaper lithium ion batteries, according to a study in August 11 issue of Nano Letters. The one-step method will allow battery developers to explore lower-priced alternatives to the lithium ion-metal oxide batteries currently on the market.
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Dark-matter search plunges physicists to new depths
The universe consists of a large amount of invisible matter – dark matter. We do not know what it is, but we know that it is there and that without dark matter there would be no galaxies, and hence stars, planets and life as we know it. The universe is filled with large structures that are dominated by dark matter and in these dark matter spheres or ‘halos’ the light emitting particles form stars and gas clumps. Recent studies show that these dark matter halos have so-called attractors, which preserve their shape. The results are published in Astrophysical Journal Letter.

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New telescope may study dawn of time, if NASA can get it into space
When it works, and if it works, the James Webb Space Telescope could revolutionize astronomy by peering so deep into space that scientists soon could study the dawn of time.
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New Study: Building muscle doesn’t require lifting heavy weights
Current gym dogma holds that to build muscle size you need to lift heavy weights. However, a new study conducted at McMaster University has shown that a similar degree of muscle building can be achieved by using lighter weights. The secret is to pump iron until you reach muscle fatigue.
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Researchers discover genetic link between immune system, Parkinson’s disease
A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson’s disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. “Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson’s disease” appears online in Nature Genetics.
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Hold the Calculators: Let’s Talk About Math!
Many children, when learning to read, are encouraged by their teachers to retell all they remember about a story in order to build their comprehension skills. But can similar comprehension strategies be applied to mathematics? Researchers at North Carolina State University say that when teachers work with kids to talk through math problems, kids do a better job of absorbing and understanding the content.
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Foreclosure reduces home’s eventual sale price by 27 percent on average
Foreclosure reduces the eventual sale price of a home by an average 27 percent, compared to the prices paid for similar properties nearby. Those nearby homes, in turn, could see their own prices depressed by 1 percent, if they happen to be within 250 feet of the foreclosed property.

By Fallon J. Rechnitz

1. Cashflow Management is Key:

Cashflow was a big concern for many during the last few years. Dwindling sales and higher operating costs wreaked havoc upon a company’s cashflow, and out-of-control spending, inefficient marketing campaigns, and the need to lower prices in order to remain competitive also directly affected cashflow. In this new economy, proper cashflow management is more important than ever before.

Spending must be carefully analyzed; review each spending option to see if there is a more viable, cost-effective solution. Examine your spending policies to see if any excessive spending can be curbed, or at least managed better to ensure less waste. Your operating costs should also be reviewed to see if there are cheaper alternatives, and inventory costs should likewise be kept under tighter control and scrutiny.

This does not necessarily mean that you should become a miser and carefully hoard each penny. But you’d be surprised how much can be saved by reviewing spending, inventory and operating costs on a consistent basis. For example, the office supply market is a competitive industry. Don’t be afraid to shop around for better prices twice a year. Shipping costs is another area of spending in which ample savings can sometimes be garnered.

Invoice management control is a central factor to a healthy cashflow. How many invoices tend to languish for the full allotted grace period before being paid? How many are paid after the required date? You may find that you need to manage your clients more closely in order to ensure payment on time.

A healthy cashflow also means cash on hand for surprise or unplanned spending, such as equipment repairs, facility renovations, or a marketing campaign.

2. Inventory Control:

During the economic crash, many retail businesses found themselves stuck with large quantities of inventory and few buyers, even when the products were offered at very reduced prices. Liquidation was a primary objective just a short while ago, yet recent studies suggest that the trend has reversed, and companies are restocking their inventory rapidly and with large quantities once more.

The economy is still rather unstable, and show businesses should take care not to restock their products in excess of what is actually needed to supply current demand. While B2B and consumer spending is rising, it is not doing so consistently. There are still occasional dips along the way. Spending too much on stock one quarter may very well cause your cash on hand to be short next quarter when sales take a downturn.

3. Growth is Good, But Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew:

As companies both large and small begin to grow, a feeling of invincibility may begin to pervade the atmosphere. Over-optimism settles in like an old friend, and it seems like the slump of recent years has finally come to an end. Well, maybe so, but it pays to remain cautious and keep your optimism in check.

And if an opportunity to grow does present itself. weigh it carefully against all the factors relative the future stability of your company. Steady growth, conducted safely and with minimal risk, is of course optimal, but circumstances may not always provide for this. Growth can sometimes happen unexpectedly, and if a business is caught too unawares and unprepared to meet the new demands of more business, production and efficiency could suffer it, as well as your cashflow. In a worst case scenario, this can also lead to the downfall of a company if the reigns are taken hold of quickly.

It is important to remain true to the core fundamentals of your business: the service or products you provide, and how much profit it garners. It may be tempting to seize upon a new opportunity that may lead to future growth, but if it puts your current stability at too much risk, it may not be worth it after all. These are the options that must be considered – do you risk sacrificing your current market for a new, uncertain one, or do you bide your time, waiting for an opportunity that fits more closely with your core business?

With any type of large business decision such as this, research is especially important. Going into something blindly is a surefire way to put a strain on your cashflow, and a whole host of new problems may ensure. Impatience is often to blame for rash decisions, as an offer or opportunity that promises increased cashflow may dissuade you from taking the time to properly research it. Don’t fall into this trap. Conduct market research, and use the Internet, where ample research may be available at your disposal for free.

4. Borrowing Money:

Banks and financial institutions are much stricter these days about who, when, and how much money they’ll lend, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother trying. You may need to shop around and fill out a bit more paperwork than what used to be necessary, as well as allow the banks to examine your financials with more scrutiny, but perseverance will bring results.

It can be more time-consuming for small business to go through the process of borrowing money than larger corporations, but don’t be put off by the lengthy applications or the idea that you’ll be turned down for a loan. If your business can benefit from a cash infusion and you have the means to pay back the loan without causing too much financial hardship, then don’t be afraid to borrow the money.

For more information on how Bridge Capital can provide accelerated cash flow solutions for your business in the Suffolk and Nassau area of Long Island, NY; Please visit us at http://www.bridgecapitalsolutionscorp.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fallon_J_Rechnitz

Stepping into a management role isn’t just a change of task — it’s a fundamental shift of identity.

“To be successful, first-time managers must make the transition from a person who gets the work done themselves to a person who gets work done through others,” says Kim Leahy, global portfolio manager of Center for Creative Leadership’s Maximizing Your Leadership Potential (MLP) program for managers of individual contributors. “It requires a different definition of success, a new level of self-awareness and an additional range of skills.”

Your definition of success must now include the success of others. Rather than focusing on your own performance, you need to be asking, “How does the group or team accomplish its work?” “Are they effective as individuals?” “Do they collaborate?” “Are team members committed and engaged?” “How are individual motivations and needs connected to the work and the organization?”

At the same time, you should take stock of your own strengths, weaknesses and patterns. “Who you are drives how you lead,” Leahy explains. “Even though the emphasis is no longer on your individual performance, you need to understand your behaviors, preferences and tendencies — and consider that the most effective way to lead others may not always be your default approach.”

For example, you might be a person who thrives on the pressure of a tight deadline and, as an individual contributor, earned a reputation as someone who will roll up your sleeves and get the job done. As a manager of others, these same practices and preferences could lead to poor planning, micromanaging or inadequate use of resources. If you assume everyone operates the same way you did as an individual contributor, you won’t see or leverage the array of talent on your team.

Build a foundation of four leader competencies

To make the transition from an individual performer to leading a team, you’ll want to build a foundation of what CCL calls the “Fundamental Four” leader competencies: self-awareness, learning agility, influence and communication.

Other key competencies for leading others at this stage of your career are:

•Delegating.
•Building and maintaining relationships.
•Resolving conflict.
•Leading team achievement.
•Coaching and developing others.
•Confronting problem employees.
•Embracing change.
•Innovative problem-solving.
•Adapting to cultural differences.

“In today’s flattened and downsized organizations, many skilled people are put into team leadership or management roles with little preparation and support,” says Leahy. “But these emerging leaders are crucial for the implementation of the organization’s day-to-day work. When they understand what is required to manage others and learn — in a practical way — how to be effective leaders, they can be powerful agents for organizational success.”

From Leading Effectively Newletter, Center for Creative Leadership

Apple, Method and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies which have successfully moved beyond traditional marketing and towards creating genuine “product experiences”.

Christopher Stutzman, a principal analyst at Forrester, argued in a report that several fundamental shifts in popular habits will require a transition away from tried-and-tested models.
“Marketers rely too much on communications to build their brands,” he said. “While consumers are tuning out marketing messages, they are actually seeking out more product experiences.”

A survey of 4,000 US shoppers found just 25% trusted in-store and magazine ads, falling to 22% for newspapers, TV and brand websites, 17% for radio and paid search, and a low of 7% for online banners.

Separate polls of a similar panel revealed 27% did not know how they first heard about something they had bought recently, while 25% cited in-store ads or special offers and 18% mentioned word of mouth.

Television and newspapers posted totals of 16%, with websites and direct mail returning scores of 11%, and a range of internet tools from banners to social networks on figures of between 1% and 4%.

62% of americans research products on the net and buy in stores

Elsewhere, 62% of Americans preferred researching potential purchases on the net and buying in bricks and mortar outlets, and 53% agreed sampling in stores or at home had helped them to choose a brand.

In response to these trends, firms like Apple have excelled by designing goods “with marketing in mind”, as exemplified by the iPod and iPhone, which demonstrate the power of “baked in” advertising.

Dyson’s new bladeless fan also combined “innovation of form and function” with superior performance, as was the case for the organisation’s pioneering vacuum cleaner.

Bladeless fan doesn’t look like a fan

“Visually the product speaks to the consumer because it looks nothing like a fan The bladeless design makes it simple for the consumer to translate how it is both safer and easier to clean,” said Stutzman.

Method boasts an equally clear “brand mission”, making eco-friendly household goods packaged more like health and beauty brands and that are extremely easy to use, as epitomised up by its latest laundry detergent.

“The product is designed to speak to the consumer in a new way, saying ‘I’m not your typical homecare product that you need to hide in your cabinet’,” Stutzman argued.

Barcode scanning app ShopSavvy offers information about items stocked by 20,000 retailers in 11 countries and has quickly garnered 1m users, meaning the digital space cannot be neglected.

Sherman Williams has turned their product into a service

Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap application has enabled the coatings supplier to “turn its product into a service” by assisting customers in finding matching colours and local stores selling the range concerned.

Zippos lighter iPhone app was argued by Stutzman to represent a “strategically brilliant example” of how a simple idea can create genuine engagement.

“Not only does the lighter app deliver on the company’s brand promise to ‘create a wind proof flame’ better than their actual products, but it put a virtual Zippo product in the hands of millions of non-users,” he said.

Virgin Atlantic took this a step further with its “Day in the Cloud” scheme, a “virtual scavenger hunt” for its passengers in the air and netizens on the ground, which was run with Google.

“Had they waited to reach out to passengers until they got home, the event wouldn’t have generated anywhere near $1m in earned media,” said Stutzman.

Kraft’s online community for Philadelphia Cream cheese, focusing on “real women”, has also attracted 700,000 unique visitors, received 5,000 user-generated recipes and contributed to renewed sales growth.

From World Advertising Research Center

An increasing number of brand owners are seeking to exploit the opportunities afforded by m-commerce, with the iPhone and iPad among the main tools attracting interest.

Adobe, the software provider, conducted a survey of 446 companies, 75% of which had their headquarters in the US, and a majority being drawn from retailers, advertising agencies, IT specialists and the media category.

Nearly 80% of contributors expected to employ this channel for marketing and purposes, declining to 62% for e-commerce, 50% for product information, and 40% for customer service.

In terms of strategy, 80% of respondents either already had or were developing a dedicated mobile site, 50% said the same for an iPhone app, and 35% following such a route for the iPad.

Another 30% currently used text and picture messaging, and around a quarter had established applications for Google’s Android operating system.

Mobile websites drove almost a fifth of all internet traffic, falling to 8% for iPhone apps and less than 5% for the variety of further alternatives.

With regard to displaying products, 81% of enterprises are hoping to have “360-degree spin” features in place by the end of this year, 75% expressed a desire to offer brand comparisons and 74% wished to stream live video.

Custom design and catalogues were mentioned by 73% and 64% of participants respectively, with the number of firms that had succeeded in rolling out these tools are typically at least 40% lower to date.

Looking ahead, 23% of organisations intended to introduce advertising, promotions and bar-coded coupons, while only 9% provided this facility at present.

Just 5% offered the ability to on mobile handsets, and 19% planned to add this functionality this year, totals that were similar for comparing prices available in store and online.

Coda Research, the consultancy, has predicted that revenues generated through this channel should rise by 65% in the US each year to 2015, climbing to $24bn and a 9% share of e-commerce sales.

eBay anticipates mobile device sales of $1.5 billion in 2010

eBay, the auction portal, anticipates that its sales from mobile devices will reach $1.5bn in 2010, while Amazon, the retail giant, reported returns of $1m for the 12 months to June 2010.

Globally, ABI Research has forecast that shoppers will spend $119bn via wireless gadgets in 2015, with Japan set to retain its status as one of the sector’s leading major markets.

From the World Advertising Research Center

From e-marketer.com

Word-of-mouth may not translate to loyalty.

Social media is a hot topic in marketing circles, but many consumers are also discussing the trend, which accounts for nearly 23% of time spent online in the US, according to Nielsen.

An April 2010 survey conducted by Harris Interactive for the Online Publishers Association (OPA) found that social media sites were the most talked-about on the web, ahead of portals and top media sites that are members of the OPA in discussions on a wide variety of channels.

All those conversations, whether in person, via email, on the phone or elsewhere on the web, however, don’t make social site visitors loyal—internet users expressed the least loyalty for such properties, compared with portals or OPA member sites. They were also most likely to say social sites were not a very good fit for their information and entertainment needs.

The OPA’s findings are in line with the annual customer satisfaction report from ForeSee Results that found Facebook among the most disliked sites on the web after its many disagreements with its own user community and several privacy debacles.

According to the OPA, negative feelings about social sites may also apply to the brands that advertise there. Only 8% of internet users felt social media site advertisers were reputable, compared with a 21% average for content sites. They also felt advertising on social sites was less relevant and the companies that did so were less respected.

The answer for brands is to continue a greater focus on non-advertising marketing activities, engaging on the social media user’s terms. And marketers should remember that while loyalty to individual social properties may be low and site users dissatisfied, the activities that have come to define social media— connecting with friends and family and sharing information and content with a trusted group—will remain important in the lives of millions of internet users and continue to provide avenues for brand engagement.

For compete data charts and story, go to e-marketer.com